Arrest ends Broadus' BYU career

PROVO  BYU basketball coach Dave Rose suspended 22-year-old Cougar senior point guard Rashaun Broadus on Monday after the senior point guard was arrested and jailed early Sunday for investigation of driving under the influence.

Rose announced his decision at a brief press conference Monday at 2 p.m. before he told the rest of the team. Rose told reporters he considered the allegations surrounding his player very serious.

"We have expectations of our student-athletes at BYU, that they conduct themselves a certain way, and Rashaun has not met those expectations and will be suspended from our basketball team for the rest of the season," Rose said.

Broadus is expected to continue his class work, pending a review of his status as a student at BYU by the administration's honor code committee.

"Basketball is in his future and he wants to pursue that and he is close to graduating from BYU, but he will not be a part of our program," Rose said.

Broadus was suspended for one game in the 2005-06 season for breaking team rules. The Sunday morning incident came hours after Broadus scored a season-best 19 points in a win over San Diego State.

Rose said Broadus' situation comes at a time when the chemistry of the team was at a season high heading into Tuesday's game with TCU in Provo and a road trip to UNLV on Saturday. The Cougars are on a six-game win streak, having blown out MWC preseason favorite San Diego State on Saturday.

"Our guys on this team are fighters," Rose said. "I will tell them of this before today's practice. I expect they will fight and compete. Minutes will change and we'll need others to step up."

Rose said Broadus felt very bad about the decisions he made leading to the incident that cost him his college basketball career.

"He was very concerned for the team and how this impacts all of them in what they are doing," Rose said.

The immediate replacement for Broadus is senior Austin Ainge, who has logged significant minutes at point guard. Dixie State College transfer Ben Murdock will also get more minutes at the point. Junior Chase Ulicny, a 5-foot-10 walk-on from LaHabra, Calif., who played at Utah Valley State College, could be moved up to the traveling team as Rose adjusts a spot from among his wing players.

Ainge learned of Broadus' trouble Monday morning on the radio on his way to school.

"I was shocked, totally shocked," said Ainge. "I feel sorry for what has happened to him. Our hearts and prayers go out to Shaun and we hope he continues on with his life and does well. We will miss him. It's now up to us to step up as a team and make up for his absence."

According to a Utah Highway Patrol report, an officer stopped Broadus on I-15 at 5 a.m. Sunday, after radar determined the vehicle he was driving was travelling 79 mph in an area where the speed limit is 65 mph.

The driver did not have his license with him. A Hawaii identification card stated he was Rashaun Eneal Broadus, the report stated.

The driver told the officer he was taking his female passenger home. The female passenger indicated she had been drinking alcohol. The male driver said he had not been drinking, the report stated.

"I made contact with Mr. Broadus on the (driver's) side of the vehicle where I detected an odor of alcohol coming from his person," the officer stated in the UHP report.

The officer arrested Broadus after he attempted field sobriety tests. The driver declined to submit to chemical DUI tests. He was transported to Utah County Jail, the report said.

Broadus was arrested for investigation of DUI by refusing to take the chemical DUI test, having windows that were tinted darker than permitted by state law, not having a driver's license in possession, and speeding.

Broadus was released from the jail on bail Sunday just after 7 a.m.

Rose, who appeared on his Sunday night coaches show on KSL-TV, did not mention the Broadus incident. The TV show was taped earlier that day.

Rose said he heard Broadus had trouble on Sunday morning, shortly after the 5 a.m. incident, but it was not until Sunday afternoon he had Broadus confirm his troubles in a personal phone call.

Rose said he "was shocked" when he learned of the incident.

"I met with Rashaun on Sunday and we talked for a long time," Rose said. "I then took the decision on what to do to bed and on Monday morning I decided this was the course of action to be taken."

The Broadus suspension will not impact future recruiting efforts at BYU, according to Rose.

"We will continue to recruit athletes who are expected to conduct themselves in line with the mission of the university," he said.

Rose said Broadus had full understanding of what was expected of him at BYU with its unique honor code.

"We had talked many times about what expectations were," Rose said, "and he fully understood. It is unfortunate that he made a mistake. He feels terrible about what has happened and the decision he made that led to this."

Broadus came to Provo after a junior college career at Western Nebraska Community College. He played in all 15 BYU games this season, and Saturday's 19-point performance by the native of Hawaii was his best effort of the season. During a three-game winning streak at the BYU Holiday Classic after Christmas, Broadus did not see significant action until the final minutes of the win over Seton Hall, although he started all three games.

"A lot of what happens to us now, is up to the players and how they respond," Rose said. "I have great confidence in all of our point guards. Austin is a proven, confident player and it will now be on his shoulders to respond."